


Home Isn't a Place, It's a Person

by emperorpenguin (dortmundbvbbabe)



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Cabin Fic, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mostly Fluff, canonical injury recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:35:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27110575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dortmundbvbbabe/pseuds/emperorpenguin
Summary: After they both get eliminated in the 2020 Playoffs, Matthew and Leon take a much needed break to a cabin and take it to the next level.
Relationships: Leon Draisaitl/Matthew Tkachuk
Comments: 7
Kudos: 146





	Home Isn't a Place, It's a Person

Leon had been surprised when Matthew had suggested meeting up in a small rural area of Alberta during the summer for a week long getaway. He’d first proposed it when they were still in the bubble, but Leon wasn’t sure how serious Matthew actually had been until he asked him to stick around Edmonton. 

Before the world went to shit, they’d both made tentative plans to spend a week in St. Louis and then some time in Cologne, planning to spend some time with each other’s families beyond just a few days in passing.

Matthew had sent him an AirBNB listing with a question mark and Leon knew that he was serious. It was a fully furnished cabin about two hours of Edmonton that highlighted great views and hiking trails nearby. Leon hadn’t envisioned Matthew to be a nature lover, having seen Instagram photos from his mostly city vacations, but given the circumstances they were in, travel options were limited and the geographic isolation would afford them much needed privacy. 

When they heard they were going to be in a bubble together, they’d both imagined the possibility of spending some time together during the down time, but they’d only been able to really run into each other in passing, with their teammates always around there was very little privacy to be achieved. 

**Leon** : Do you want to leave from here after we’re both eliminated?

**Matthew** : Yeah, before things get too crazy.

It turned out, Leon got eliminated shortly after the idea was floated around. 

Matthew had sent him a consoling text, but mostly just left him alone. They’d worked around the jealousy of each other’s careers early on in their relationship, but Matthew understood better than anyone that the best thing to do was just give him space. So instead he started texting and calling Leon about planning their getaway trip, asking Leon to set aside a few items that Matthew had left in Leon’s apartment over the past two years, insisting that Leon bring the St. Louis Cardinals hoodie that Matthew pretty much lived in when he was in Edmonton. 

Leon found himself looking forward to the week away, away from teammates and family and the noise and news of civilization. He loosely followed the first round of the playoffs, really only caring about Matthew and not much else and then he heard that Matthew had taken a horrible collision with Jamie Oleksiak and he watched the footage horrified. 

**Matthew** : I know you’re worried. Stop. I’m fine.

**Leon** : Can you talk?

**Matthew** : Yeah, for a few minutes.

“Sorry, I just had to hear your voice,” Leon said, trying to keep his voice as quiet and soft as possible.

“I’m okay,” Matthew said, though his voice was rougher, like it was more taxing for him to talk, “I’m out for the series, though.”

“Fuck, I’m sorry babe,” Leon said.

“It is what it is,” Matthew said. And as much as Leon was concerned about his boyfriend’s concussion, he was worried about his morale and having to be sidelined while his teammates could still play all while he was stuck in the bubble.

“I’ll let you go, but thanks for calling and letting me hear you,” Leon said, “I love you.”

“Love you too,” Matthew said and hung up.

It was easier this time around that Matthew was feeling well enough to be able to use his phone and call. Leon was pretty sure it was out of boredom but Matthew called him at least once a day, sometimes even twice. He would update him about the progress he was making and they both talked with relief about the upcoming trip that they had to look forward to. 

And then, just as Matthew was starting to feel a few games away from returning to play, the Flames were eliminated. Leon saw the video clips of Matthew online, watching the game unfold from the seats, unable to do anything except watch his team get trounced. Leon’s heart nearly broke, but with a few clicks of his mouse, he finally booked the cabin that Matthew had sent him a few weeks before. 

The next morning, he heard a key fiddle with the lock to his apartment and he immediately knew Matthew had arrived. He was dragging two large suitcases behind him, having come directly from the bubble, but he just looked exhausted. Leon opened the door wider to usher Matthew in.

“Hey,” he said as Matthew dropped his bags on the floor and wrapped his arms tightly around Leon’s waist. He buried his face into the crook of Leon’s neck, melting into his touch as Leon wrapped one arm around Matthew while the other found its way into his hair. 

“All I wanted to do was give you a hug,” Leon said, “And tell you how proud I was of you, how proud I am of you.”

“You were the first person I wanted to see,” Matthew said, “After we were eliminated I just wanted to come home to you.”

Leon’s heart swelled with pride and joy and love hearing that. While he was back in Edmonton he’d realized that the apartment felt so empty in the absence of hockey and Matthew and hearing that Matthew felt this was his home as well, that being with Leon was home almost made his heart burst.

“You’re home now,” Leon said, “And… I booked our cabin. We have it for the next week.” 

“Do you want to head out today or tomorrow?” Matthew asked.

“It’s up to you and whatever you’re up for,” Leon said, “I don’t know how you’re feeling.”

“Why don’t I shower and then we can finish packing,” Matthew said, “I have most of my stuff anyways so we can just head out, I could use a change of scenery.”

“Okay,” Leon said. Matthew threw his shirt on the floor on the way to the bathroom.

“You realize that was an invitation to join,” Matthew said as he turned and waited for Leon to catch up. 

Leon grinned, “I’m coming.”

After a long make out session under the warm water and a few orgasms later, they got redressed and Matthew grabbed a few things from around the apartment that he wanted to pick up. 

“This trip is going to be the best part of this shitty year,” Matthew said. 

“I mean, that shower was definitely a highlight,” Leon said. 

“I would like to say that better things happened to me this year besides a hot shower with my boyfriend,” Matthew said.

Leon just laughed, “Come on, I’ll drive.”

The drive to the cabin was quiet, Matthew was still smarting from the loss against Dallas and recovering from his concussion. The ride had dulled the elation from having seen each other again since Edmonton was eliminated and as Matthew stared out the passenger’s window Leon could almost hear the thoughts running through his head.

“You’re thinking too loudly,” Leon said and placed a reassuring hand on Matthew’s thigh.

“How do you know what I’m thinking?” Matthew asked.

“I’m pretty sure I thought all those things in the week that I was sitting alone in the apartment, except I was also worried about you,” Leon said.

“I’m sorry,” Matthew said, “If it makes you feel better I wasn’t having a great time either.”

“Are you good now?” Leon asked seriously.

“My head, yeah, but the loss still hurts,” Matthew said.

“I know,” Leon said, “I’m sure though I’ll be able to find things to take your mind off of it.”

Matthew grinned, “I know you will.” Matthew’s hand gently pried Leon’s hand off of his leg, but instead of dropping it aside, he weaved their fingers together. When he glanced over to Matthew again, he saw his boyfriend’s head leaning up against the window, eyes closed but with a small smile on his face. 

Leon gently shook Matthew awake as they got closer to the cabin, needing him to give some directions while Leon focused on making the correct turn.

“That was the quietest you’ve ever been,” Leon said, “I kind of liked it.”

“Come on, you definitely thought it was weird,” Matthew said.

“Oh, it was so weird,” Leon said, “I actually wondered if you died at one point.”

“You didn’t,” Matthew said, “Oh, I think this is it.”

There was a poorly paved gravel road that winded through thick woods, until it opened up to a large, modern cabin. There were windows all around and a firepit that provided a view of the woods and a nearby lake. 

“This is beautiful,” Leon said. 

They dragged their luggage up to the cabin and opened the door to their home for the next week. “Home sweet home,” Matthew said.

They explored the cabin, checking out all the amenities and trying to find the guest book for the wi-fi password. Leon was pretty sure that Matthew was also surveying all the possible places that they could fuck while they were here.

“I can’t wait to fuck you against the window,” Matthew said. 

“What if someone walks by?” Leon asked.

“No neighbors for at least a kilometer,” Matthew said, and Leon glanced at him warily, “What? It said so on the listing.”

He just rolled his eyes. 

They headed to the nearest town, looking at the few restaurants and the small grocery store where they could grab food for the week. They both wore baseball hats low on their heads and tried to avoid eye contact. They knew they were pretty far away from where they were expected to spend time and people weren’t expecting to see them both together, but the whole point of this vacation was to have some privacy. The last thing they wanted was some blurry iPhone photo of them to end up on Barstool. They returned back to the cabin, ready to have an easy night after they made some sandwiches for dinner and that night they christened the guest bedroom. 

“I found a place to hike today, if you’re game,” Matthew said after a lazy morning in bed.

Leon shrugged, “Yeah. How long of a hike is it?”

“Maybe an hour?” Matthew shrugged, “I’m not sure. It’s around the lake.”

“Sounds good,” Leon said. 

They walked around the lake, enjoying the view and the fact that they were able to stroll around holding each other’s hands without worrying about who was around.

“Hey, I have an idea,” Matthew said, when they were about halfway around the lake. He got closer to the water’s edge and pulled off his shirt.

“What are you doing?” Leon asked. Matthew just answered by pulling off his shorts and stepping out of his underwear.

“Come on,” Matthew said as he stepped into the lake water. He waded about waist deep into the water and dunked his head down into the water to wet his hair. 

Leon looked at him skeptically, before he started to take his own clothes off, placing them in a pile next to Matthew’s, “Are you trying to test how much I love you?”

“Would you seriously consider  _ not _ skinny dipping with me?” Matthew asked. 

Leon got into the water, meeting Matthew further in the lake until they could touch the bottom, but water rose up to their shoulders.

“I swear if anyone walks by…” Leon said.

Matthew just laughed, “They would certainly get a show.”

Leon reached over and kissed Matthew, “We’d scar some people for sure.” He felt Matthew’s hands wander over his body under the water touching all the places that he was so familiar with.

“We have plenty of time to scar people beyond this trip,” Matthew said. 

“We have the rest of our lives,” Leon said and when Matthew’s eyes widened he wondered if he’d said something wrong. They’d spoken about their future together in abstract terms, but they never detailed out what they imagined their future to be. Leon just knew that he wanted Matthew in it.

Matthew almost pounced at him and kissed him passionately in a way that Leon couldn’t really recall outside of sex, “Fuck, I love you.”

“I love you too,” Leon said between kisses. They stayed in the lake for some time, exchanging kisses and exploring each other’s bodies until their fingers shriveled up. 

They put their clothes back on, almost immediately drenching them with pond water and almost raced back to the cabin. 

Later that afternoon, though, Leon thought Matthew was a little more subdued than usual. Occasionally, he would catch him staring off into space. 

“Are you okay?” Leon asked. 

Matthew blinked a couple of times and nodded, “Yeah, sorry, just a little tired, I think.”

“It’s not the concussion, is it?” Leon asked.

“No,” Matthew said, “But I think I’ll take a nap, okay?”

“Sure,” Leon said.

“Don’t look so worried,” Matthew said, “It’s a nap.” He kissed Leon before he headed back to the bedroom to nap and Leon just hoped that it really was just Matthew being tired. 

Matthew slept for a couple of hours and Leon occasionally checked in on him to make sure he was okay. He ran through everything that happened that day to see if something could have triggered Matthew’s concussion symptoms but couldn’t think of any. The only thing that he kept going back to was their conversation at the lake. 

Cooking took his mind off of things, though, and by the time the food was ready, Matthew had made his way out of the living room. 

“I made pasta,” Leon said, as he divided up the food, “Are you feeling better?”

“I feel fine,” Matthew said, “I really was just tired.”

But throughout dinner, the cadence is off. Their usual banter has subsided and instead, Leon is just full of concern.

“Want to use the fire pit tonight?” Matthew asked, and Leon wanted to say that it was too hot for it, but he also wanted to make Matthew happy, so that’s how they ended up outside after dinner.

They lit the fire pit and sat in the two chairs by it. It was probably a little too warm to comfortably enjoy the warmth, but it was nice to sit outside in the dim dusk light and bask in each other’s company. 

“Are you going to tell me what’s up?” Leon asked. 

Matthew chewed on his lip and fiddled in his seat.

“Did you mean what you said earlier?” Matthew asked as he fiddled with the sleeves of his sweatshirt.

“What?” Leon asked. 

“At the lake, did you mean it when you were talking about spending the rest of our lives together?”

“Yeah,” Leon said, “If that’s okay…” he trailed off.

Matthew turned towards him and with the flicker of the firepit on his face, Leon saw anxiety and happiness.

“You know, I never thought I could love someone the way I love you,” Matthew said, “And when we started off it was easy, it was so easy and simple and fun. And it’s still fun, but you know after the All-Stars game, after you spent time with my family and you fit in so well with them I began to allow myself to envision a future with you, and then when the season got suspended you were all I could think about. And somehow in the past two years, you’ve become the best part about me. I know we started off with hockey in common, but even when hockey is over I want you there. I knew that in March and I know that now.”

Leon’s breath caught in his throat as Matthew stood up out of his chair and knelt next to him. He fished into his pocket and pulled a small box out and that’s when Leon knew it was real. 

“I want to stand next to you when you win the Stanley Cup and split our summers between Germany and St. Louis or some other city that we decide to live in and… I just want to follow you wherever you go. So, Leon Draisaitl, will you marry me?” Matthew asked. 

Leon’s words were stuck and all he could do was nod and kiss Matthew. 

“Yes,” Leon said when he finally pulled away, “is this why you’ve been off since the lake?”

Matthew nodded, “I thought what you said was a sign, I’ve had this ring since April, but I wasn’t sure when would be a good time or if we were really on the same page… and today just seemed right.”

“It was perfect,” Leon said, he almost pulled Matthew onto the chair so that Matthew could straddle him. 

“All I could think about when I was home was how much I’d rather be with you,” Matthew said as he pressed their foreheads together, “And not just how much I wanted to be with you, but that I wanted to be married to you and instead of going home to St. Louis I just wanted to come home to you. Somewhere along the line you had become synonymous with home.”

“You’ve been home for a while now,” Leon admitted, “And now you get to be my family.”


End file.
